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Finally. It took a Harvard professor to send it viral, but we finally have the discussion on the table, once more. The rest of us who have been plugging the same information can relax, and take a deep breath.

Balance is key, folks. It doesn't mean, 'never' use coconut oil ever again. It means acquire knowledge about the chemistry of it before delving in, especially where fat quality and its longterm effect on your physiology are concerned. Yes, proponents have been wading in coconut excess.

I'm just going to drop the link to the article here, as it articulates the essence quite well. Before doing so, however, I will drop this:

"Proponents of coconut oil say that its saturated fats are mainly medium
chain triglycerides (MCTs). 'MCTs tend to be used for energy in the
body, with less being stored as fats,' says Alissa Rumsey, MS, RD,
creator of the Ditch the Diet Challenge.
On the other hand, long-chain fatty acids are the ones that tend to
increase unhealthy levels of cholesterol. However, 'only about 15
percent of the fat in coconut oil is from true MCTs—so most of the MCTs
in coconut oil act just like other saturated fats,' she explained. That
means coconut oil isn’t an exception like many believe. -Prevention Magazine-Take a look at the article for yourself:So is coconut oil good for you, or what?

Is your daily life in a state of exhaustion? Do you go through the daily grind feeling tired, gloomy, and apathetic? Never quite up to par, and longing for that extra energy you can't quite find?

So many people think the continuous state of exhaustion is normal. That it is a status quo to be accepted. It's chalked up to busy work schedules, demands, and not having enough hours in the day to get everything done. Some people have gotten so used to walking around in a daze, they don't even notice it anymore.

The truth is that you may be suffering from, sleep debt.It most likely also means that you're not functioning at an optimal level, and may not be feeling happiness, and well-being.

Did you know(Dement, 1999, p. 3-4, 231):

Half of us mismanage our sleep to the point where it negatively affects our health and safety.

American Cancer Society studies show a significant association between sleep and longevity

On average, each of us sleeps one and a half fewer hours each night than our great-grandparents did a century ago.

If
someone you know has had a heart attack (especially at a young age),
there is a good chance that an undiagnosed sleep disorder contributed to
the problem.

When
people sleep only four hours a night for two weeks, their performance
scores are the same as those who were kept up for three
straight days and nights (University of Pennsylvania research)

The bottom line on sleep debt

Look at your sleep as a bank account, whereby accumulated lost sleep is like a monetary debt. Accumulated debt may have crept up in small increments over several days/months/years, and although you may pay it back in small amounts, there still may be a large underlying debt to pay. The small paybacks can help to feel a lot better, but the truth is that in the end, it must be paid back in full.

The brain is quite amazing. It actually keeps an accurate accounting record of how much sleep we owe. It strives to maintain a homeostatic balance between sleep and wakefulness. Just like hunger, the feeling of tiredness and needing sleep is a basic drive in us.

Stanford researcher, William C. Dement M.D., informs us that, "In a very real sense all wakefulness is sleep deprivation. As soon as you wake up, the meter starts ticking, calculating how many hours of sleep you will need to pay off that night" (1999, p.57). Although some people may need a little more or less, there is scientific agreement that most need to sleep one hour for every two hours awake. In general, an average of eight hours a night.

The brain tries to hit this mark and level out at a sleep debt of zero since the debt cannot be lower than zero, and sleep is something that cannot be saved up for a rainy day. It tries to hit the mark by making us feel sleepy as a signal to slide into temporary hibernation.

At the opposite end of the scale, we know that most people completely collapse after three or four days of total sleep loss, which adds up to 24 to 32 hours of sleep debt, in addition to what they already had. When a sleep debt is paid, it is only temporary. It means that the state of wakefulness occurs, and we begin to accumulate a new debt.However, the alertness-sleepiness continuum is pretty complex, and environmental stimulation makes us very bad judges of our sleep tendency. We may not perceive the debt correctly if we are stressed by external stimulation."Keeping your baseline sleep debt low can make the difference between being sharp enough to function in a crises and being too fuzzy-headed to think, between feeling just a little less energetic and feeling really awful" (Dement, 1999, p. 370).

Prevention

Most of us know of certain conditions and substances that disrupt feeling sleepy, and our ability to correctly read the body's signals. Stress, caffeine, alcohol, and sugar, just to name a few.

Yet, there are two things that can really benefit us, and give us more bang for the buck.

The first is the light in our sleeping environment. It has the strongest influence on our circadian rhythms, helping our brain regulate when it's time to sleep, and time to wake in the long term game of prevention. Window coverings that allow morning light to gradually awaken us in the transition from darkness, aids the brain in maintaining its natural cyclical regulation. On a side note, regular physical exercise is also great at regulating the circadian clock.

The second is napping. Napping sometimes gets a bum rap. It's a great pleasure for many, yet is sometimes looked upon as laziness. Forget the negative connotation, and nap with a good conscience. It is a most effective tool for combating sleep crises. According to Dement (p. 371), "Naps make you smarter, faster, and safer than you would be without them. They should be widely recognized as a powerful tool in battling fatigue"(1999, p. 371). Naps pay down that debt!

Spend a few minutes to think about your life lately. How is your stress level? What are your daily habits, and how do you maintain your balance between rest and activity? How much sleep are you getting on average per night? See if you can uncover a few small things that are easy to adjust, which would improve the quality of your days by improving the quality of your sleep.

With today's frenzy for fitness, there is a lot of focus put on the subject of protein. Increased protein intake is no longer just for high level athletes, and body builders. Containers of protein powder abound in homes out there, and people increase their intake for weight-loss purposes.

So, what's all the hype? Is too much protein detrimental? Can it lead to toxicity? There are varying opinions, and not all of them are thus far backed by scientific evidence. Yet, all existing scientific evidence needs to be met with a critical mind.

Much of the worry about protein is that too high of an intake may strain or damage kidney (renal) function, leading to Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).

Without getting too deep into the physiology, the generally accepted definition of CKD is decreased glomular filtration for 3 or more months. In addition, there are 5 stages of CKD. In other words, a progression. Furthermore, several conditions may predispose people for CKD; hypertension, diabetes, also abuse of analgesics.First of all, it's necessary to mention that the body is in continuous flux. It constantly sustains homeotasis, adapting to the challenges we present it. The body is an amazing organism capable of handling strain and stress, and the kidneys are amazing organs in the same regard. In healthy individuals, protein intake far beyond recommended intake is tolerated by the kidneys, and there resides no evidence that it is harmful.

To throw a little research background out there; the two longest standing studies are the Brenner Hypothesis, and the Nurse's Health Study. In short, the Brenner Hypothesis proposed that excessive protein intake negatively impacted renal function. The hypothesis fell short as it was a heterogeneous study meaning that dissimilar individuals were studied, whereby some of them were healthy, and some of them already within the five stage range of CKD. The Nurse's Health Study was research conducted on a homogenous group of patients already diagnosed with renal disease. In this case, it did show that excessive protein intake decreases renal function over time (11 year study) in these patients. Renal function is no longer optimal in patients with CKD, and the kidneys cannot handle as much stress. Yet, in comparison, no decreased renal function was found in a group of healthy individuals.

So, here's some food for thought.

The researcher in me is somewhat dissatisfied with the longevity and variable variation of existing studies specifically regarding renal function. Although an eleven year study warrants clout, it is seldom enough when researching long-term health effects. Remember that studies rarely give us an entire conclusion on any subject. They may help us answer one single question, but the answer is dependent on the design of the study; the target group, the variables, the longevity, the financing. Yet, the answer is usually one in a great maze of complexity. The nurse in me knows that people are not running to their primary physicians testing their glomerular filtration rates, may have unrecognized symptoms or predisposed conditions, and especially those past the age of youth. My concern applies especially to the millions using high protein intake to promote weight loss, and without knowing their present health status. Furthermore, important is the knowledge that individuals have varying needs depending on other conditions, age, level of activity.

In the age of information, it's easy to accept the side of the discussion that best fits wishes and mindsets, and without thought given to other effects on the totality of the body's physiology. It is understandable that if weight loss, fitness, or muscle mass is the focus of individual goals, it is a natural thing for people to jump on the wagon as a means to the end.

The health educator in me prods me to rather encourage people to seek the help of a dietician or other qualified professional that can provide knowledge of physiology and help map individual needs. It prods me to appeal to people to be somewhat critical, and ask pro/con questions. To ask, "What is right for me? What is necessary/unnecessary for my needs?".

In caretaking ourselves and our health, balance is key. Homeostasis means balance. Our job is to help our bodies maintain that balance in all that we do. Knowledge is a first step, and a powerful tool.